Contact: Joel Nossoff, 277-6518 Media Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, 277-5915

Feb. 18, 2003 NOSSOFF HONORED FOR OUTSTANDING WORK WITH UNM FRESHMEN Joel Nossoff, director of New Student Programs at the University of New Mexico, is among 10 individuals in the nation who will be honored as "Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates" Sunday, Feb. 23, during the 22nd Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience in Atlanta, GA. The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina and the Houghton Mifflin Publishing Co. selected this year's recipients from 120 nominations. The award honors college faculty, administrators and staff for positive contributions to students and the culture of their institutions. UNM President F. Chris Garcia nominated Nossoff for his work with UNM's freshmen programs. Nossoff has been instrumental in UNM's strides to improve student retention. Last year, more than three-quarters of the 2001 freshman class had returned for a third semester - a record high for the university. "In his 30-year career at four universities, Joel has been a consistent, creative and effective advocate for first-year students," Garcia wrote in the nomination. "Joel has developed seminar courses at three different campuses focusing on the development and education of first-year students. Each of these courses has been seen as a major accomplishment in improving the first-year student experience." At California State University Los Angeles, Nossoff developed and taught the Minority Engineering Program Orientation Course; at Cal State San Bernardino, he initiated, implemented and directed an extended freshman orientation course known as the Freshman Seminar; and at UNM, he developed a freshman seminar, "Introduction to Undergraduate Studies," a key component to UNM's successful new Freshman Learning Communities, which he also helped to develop and implement. "Joel was the first to summarize and present data about first year student success at UNM," wrote Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo Torres in a support letter. "There is compelling evidence that his efforts have had tremendous impact on our first year students and on the culture of the institution." Nossoff joined the Dean of Students Office in 1994. In 1999, he became director of New Student Programs for University College. He earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Cal State L.A., 1970, and master's in education with a specialization in educational research and evaluation from University of California at Los Angeles, 1975. Other recipients of the award include: Cassandre G. Alvarado, Freshman Interest Group Program coordinator, University of Texas at Austin; Valery Y. R. Bates-Brown, director of academic support center and full professor of visual communications, Virginia State University; Kay Dean Bethea, writing instructor, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College-Jefferson Davis Campus; Glenn Blalock, assistant professor of English, coordinator of First-Year Writing Program and co-director of core curriculum, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Emily F. Cutrer, dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University West; Michael A. Dunn, director of new student programs, Radford University; Vivia Lawton Fowler, R. Wright Spears Professor of Religion and director of general education, Columbia College; David Rehm, associate professor of philosophy and director of freshman seminar, Mount Saint Mary's College; and Laurel V. Williamson, vice president and dean of faculty, Lower Columbia College. ###

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